The Average American Supports High Skilled Immigrants In The USA

The USA ranks 6th among 12 countries
in terms of percentage of immigrants with a college degree

80% of immigrants from India are college
educated

While the USA is making a number of changes to its
immigration policies, a large percentage of the native population is not
against high skilled immigrants in the USA. In fact, the USA is home to the
highest number of educated immigrants in the world. Read on to find out more.

The Statue of Liberty

Unlike what you might perceive, not every American is against immigrants. According to a study conducted by PEW Research Center, the majority of citizens are supportive of highly skilled immigrants in the USA.

View Towards High Skilled Immigrants; The USA Vs The Other 11 Countries

78% of about 8 of every 10 American adult citizens support
high skilled immigration. This places the USA at around a middle-ranking among the 12 countries the study
was conducted in.

The average percentage in support of high skilled
immigration among all 12 countries is about 73%. Thus the USA lies above the
median. The percentage of US citizens in support of high skilled immigration is
exceeded by Australia, Germany, Canada, the UK, and
Sweden.

It is interesting to note that like the USA, all of these countries are trying to reduce overall immigration. Only Israel, Italy and the Netherlands were not very enthusiastic about high skilled immigration.

Country

Percentage Opposes

Percentage Supports

Sweden

11

88

UK

12

85

Canada

14

84

Germany

18

81

Australia

19

79

USA

19

78

France

31

68

Spain

31

67

Netherlands

36

61

Greece

42

54

Israel

51

42

Italy

50

35

High Skilled Immigrants In The USA – Educational Qualifications

More than one-third of all immigrants in the USA hold degrees in varying fields. This places the country in the middle of the ranking system with respect to advanced economies with high immigration.

Highly educated immigrants constitute of a majority percentage only in two countries; Canada and Australia.

The UK, Israel, and Sweden are also ahead of the USA with regards to the educational qualifications of their immigrants. The USA is ahead of Spain, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Greece, and Italy.

Country

Percentage of Immigrants With A College Degree

Canada

65

Australia

63

UK

49

Israel

49

Sweden

41

USA

36

Spain

29

Netherlands

28

France

26

Germany

22

Greece

22

Italy

14

It is important to note that while keeping the above
statistics in mind, the USA boasts of the highest number of immigrants with a
college education in the world. As per a study conducted in 2015, around 14.7
million immigrants in the USA had a college degree or a postsecondary diploma.

This is about thrice the number of college-educated immigrants in Canada and four times the number of college-educated immigrants in the UK. Other countries with a high number of educated immigrants include Australia, France, and Germany.

The rising education levels in the USA are a result of many
factors including better educational facilities in the countries the immigrants
originate from and an increased number of highly skilled immigrants from Asia
and Africa.

52% of immigrants from China and 80% of immigrants from India are college educated. Many African immigrants also have an average educational qualification that surpasses their American peers. In contrast, only 9% of Mexican immigrants above the age of 25 have had a college education.

With the proposed changes to the US immigration system made by the Trump administration, the percentage
of educated immigrants in the USA may be set to rise further.

In Canada, the
changing demographics have been a gradual
result of the points-based system
introduced in 1967. This system favored
immigrants with higher educational qualifications.

As a result, the percentage of immigrants with a college
education increased over a decade from 13% in 1971 to 44% in 1981. After four
decades, nearly 63% of Canada’s immigrant population has a post-secondary
education.

Educational Levels in
the USA: Immigrants vs Native Population

In many countries, the
percentage of immigrants with college degrees or diplomas is roughly the same
as the native population.

However, in the USA, 40% of the native population has a post-secondary diploma. This is much higher than the percentage of immigrants with similar qualifications.